Second and third conditional

English conditionals are one of the most confusing verb tenses for students, especially during the preparation for the official exams, since several B2 and C1 questions revolve around the differences between the second and third conditionals in English. If you also get lost among so many compound verbs and you would like to know how to formulate the second and third conditional to be more confident in your written or oral tests, read on!
In this Fun Talk article we will explain when and how it is appropriate to use each of them.

Differences between the second and third conditionals in English

The second conditional is used to express hypothetical situations in the present or future and their imaginary results.
It is constructed using the auxiliary verb “would” plus the infinitive of the main verb.
For example, “If I won the lottery, I would travel around the world.” On the other hand, the third conditional is used to talk about hypothetical situations in the past and the results that might have occurred had circumstances been different.
It is formed using “would have” plus the past participle of the main verb.
For example, “If she had studied harder, she would have passed the exam.”

When to use the second and third conditionals in English?

The key difference between these two types of conditionals lies in the verb tense used: the second conditional focuses on the hypothetical present or future, while the third conditional focuses on the hypothetical past.
That is, the second conditional is used to express imaginary situations and their results in the present or future.
It is used to talk about remote or improbable possibilities in the present or near future.
For example, “If I were you, I would tell him the truth.”
On the other hand, the third conditional is used to reflect on past events and what might have happened if circumstances had been different.
It is used to speculate about alternative outcomes in the past.
For example, “If they had arrived on time, they wouldn’t have missed the concert.”

Examples of English conditionals

1. 1. Second conditional:

• If I had a million dollars, I would buy a yacht.

• If it snowed tomorrow, we would build a snowman.

• If I were taller, I would reach the top shelf easily.

1. 1. Third conditional:

• If she had known about the party, she would have come.

• If they had taken the earlier train, they wouldn’t have missed the meeting.

• If I had studied more, I would have passed the exam.

These examples illustrate how the second and third conditionals can be used in different situations and contexts.
As you can see, the formula is always the same so, once you know the keys and know the exact differences between one and the other, differentiating them is much easier than it seemed at first. Do you want to continue learning to differentiate them?
Practice with examples like the ones we’ve provided!
This will help you strengthen your mastery of these grammatical concepts and help you use them more fluently in your next tests and exercises.